Lure: Novella Review

Under the sea! Wish we could be… wait no. Never mind.

Here’s my spoiler-free review of Lure!

The Author

Tim McGregor is the author of EYNHALLOW, WASPS IN THE ICE CREAM, TABOO IN FOUR COLORS, the Shirley Jackson Award nominated LURE, HEARTS STRANGE AND DREADFUL, and the SPOOKSHOW series. A former screenwriter and active Horror Writers Association member, Tim lives in Toronto with his wife and two kids.

— From McGregor’s website

You can check out more on McGregor’s website, or follow him on BlueSky.

The Book

In the chapel of a forsaken fishing village on another world's shore, the seawashed bones of old gods hang from the rafters. When a new god drifts into the bay, the menfolk fear nothing as they reach for their spears; but capturing Her may be their last act of reckless bravado. Her very presence brings dissent and madness. Her voice threatens to tear the starving, angry community apart. Setting a siege of relentless horror against the backdrop of brine and blood, Lure blurs the line between natural disaster and self-destruction.

Praise for Lure:

"Immersive and utterly compelling, Tim McGregor's Lure will stab you in the heart with a hook and plunge you deep into the blackest depths where sunlight cannot follow. A monstrously inventive seaside fable of tradition, adolescence, and loss." — Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

“Lure: an appropriate title for a novella that gripped me hook, line and sinker. Evocative of the sea, with the feel of a folktale, Tim McGregor’s talent for subtlety is bewitching; but when it berths, the horror is visceral.” — Catherine McCarthy, author of Immortelle

"Tightly told, with great tension and pacing; an eerie tale with great social commentary. It's fantastic and stands apart from the crowd." — Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads and Below

— Description from Tenebrous Press

Published by Tenebrous in July 2022, Lure is a folk horror novella written by a fellow Canadian author Tim McGregor. Who doesn’t love killer mermaids? Also if you end up wanting a copy, I recommend buying direct from Tenebrous as they offer a free eBook copy in PDF, ePub and mobi formats if you buy a paperback.

The Review

Folk horror by the sea?

Old Gods and strange skeletal remains?

Superstitions and a song only some can hear?

Hell ya.

McGregor’s tale is set in a barren fishing village somewhere far away in a dark time long ago. The Pastor and his children rely on the charity of the other villagers, women are helpless to the male-centric customs, the sea is cold and hostile. Themes of hubris, selfishness, self-destruction swept through this isolated village like a screaming wind.

The plot pulls at you like a riptide, you’re swept away, choking on the salt, as you watch the villagers suffer the curse of the sea. The main character, the son of the pastor, makes you want to cheer him on and strangle him in turn. You’re hooked, netted, gutted, and eaten alive by the tension.

Okay that’s enough fishing puns (maybe).

If you like folk horror and sea-themed horror, grab Lure.

The novella is tightly paced and filled with dread, the ending caught me by surprise and was haunting in its horror and satisfying in its brutality.

8/10

x PLM